Auxiliary verbs

Adjectives

The adjective appears, as we have seen in Chapter 3 and 4, in the following positions:

- as attributes (in front of) describing indefinite nouns:

en stor bil

- as predicates after verbs like å være (to be):

bilen er stor

In en stor bil the adjective is placed in front of a noun in indefinite form. However, attributive adjectives can also describe definite nouns (i.e. the big car). Then the adjectives end in -e (just like the plural form). In addition, the adjectives require the definite articles: den, det and de which agree in gender and number with the noun: den + store + bilen = den store bilen (the big car).

The so-called double definite construction is special. In English there is only one element that expresses definite form (the big car). In Norwegian, definite form is marked twice: first by the definite article (den, det, de) and then by the definite form of the noun (bilen).

Singular

Plural

Masc.

Fem.

Neut.

en stor bila big car

ei stor veskea big handbag

et stort borda big table

store biler/vesker/bordbig cars/handbags/tables

den store bilenthe big car

den store veskathe big handbag

det store bordetthe big table

de store bilene/veskene/bordenethe big cars/handbags/tables

Note the irregular form of liten (small):

Singular

Plural

Masc.

Fem.

Neut.

en liten bila small car

ei lita veskea small handbag

et lite skjerfa small scarf

små biler/vesker/skjerfsmall cars/handbags/scarfs

den lille bilenthe small car

den lille veskathe small handbag

det lille skjerfetthe small scarf

de små bilene/veskene/skjerfenethe small cars/handbags/scarfs

Word order

There are two types of clauses in Norwegian: main clauses and subordinate clauses.

Main clauses

A main clause is an independent sentence. The verb (finite verb) is the second element, except in questions without a question word where the verb is in initial position:

Peter bor på Moholt.

Hva studerer han?

Studerer han på NTNU?

Adverbs like ikke (not) are placed after the verb:

Peter kommer ikke fra England.

Maria studerer ikke på Gløshaugen.

Ken snakker ikke tysk.

The conjunctions og (and) and men (but) start main clauses:

Peter bor på Moholt, og han studerer på NTNU.

Peter liker ikke te, men han drikker kaffe.

Subordinate clauses

A subordinate clause is a dependent sentence. Normally it is part of a main clause. A subordinate clause typically starts with a subordinating conjunction. In this chapter you are presented to three of them:

fordi because

at that

om whether, if

The subordinating conjunction is followed by the subject of the sentence and the verb: